Recent posts by Refael Klein:
My Cramped, Precarious Flight to the South Pole
After a two-hour delay, due to engine troubles, we finally boarded our south-bound flight to the Amundson-Scott Station — the U.S. scientific research station at the Geographic South Pole, the southernmost place on the planet. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein is blogging about his experiences as he spends a year working and living at the South Pole. Read his […]
What Happened When I Landed in Antarctica
It was early afternoon when our plane, an LC-130 operated by the New York National Guard, began its descent towards the ice runway at McMurdo Station, the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Last I heard, ground temperatures were minus 31 Celsius (minus 25 Fahrenheit). In the next half hour, the plane would land and […]
En Route to South Pole, Witnessing New Zealand’s Artful Destruction
It takes 21 hours of flying to reach Christchurch, New Zealand from Denver, Colorado. That’s a lot of time in a small seat, and no matter how many laps you make through the aisles, or how frequently you stretch your back, you walk off the plane with sore a body and a head that is […]
Modern-day Antarctic Explorer Journeys to South Pole
My name is Refael Klein. I’m a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, which supports research carried out by NOAA and other scientific institutions. Last year, I was managing our facility in American Samoa, enjoying a tropical climate. This year, I will be at the National Science Foundation’s […]